Taming the Wild God
by Jonathan Anubian
Summary: In the Village Hidden in the leaves there is a child born with the powers of a demonic deity. This child, though not shunned, is unhappy with his confining lifestyle. On a night when the moon was full he escaped his bonds and ventured out into a world he had never seen before.
1. Prologue

Prologue

There is a legend, passed down through the ages, about the god of the village hidden in the leaves. It states;  
 _Every five generations a child will be born. This child is the reincarnation of the demonic God that protects the village. The moment the child is born it will begin to manifest the power of God. The child must be secluded in the forest for the first seven years of life, behind an ancient barrier, in order to protect the village. Unless a Sacrifice can be made to assuage the anger of the God.  
The child must be honored and protected as a representation of the God. To harm or neglect this child is to bring ruin. Without this child the barrier keeping the village hidden would collapse, and all those inside would be in danger from the outside world._

There were other rules that were supposed to be followed, ones which did not come from the original legend. But over time the village had adapted in order to survive. In that village, hidden in the leaves at the foot of a forested mountain, the newest God-child was born. Yet he was unlike any of those who had come before.

His name was Naruto.

The night he was born was a terrible loss to the village as a whole. Their Lady, a wonderful woman with a fiery disposition, passed away while giving birth to the new God. Unlike the last reincarnation, which some of the members of the village still recalled, this one manifested powers in the womb; resulting in the death of their lady. Struck with grief and knowing what it would mean to have such a powerful god run amok in the forest, away from civilization, the Lord sacrificed his own life to seal the child's power for the first seven years of his life.

Although the village felt this loss they knew the legends, and the laws. The previous Lord, who had given over his position to the new generation, took up his post again and adopted the child as a grandson.

This is that child's story.

* * *

Since finding a job here in my hick town is nearly impossible for me, I have decided to start a . Without the stress of money troubles, which my family and my Fiance's family continue to stress me out over, I will have more concentration and time to spend writing. If you wish to support me please click the link below.

You can find me under Jonathan Anubian.


	2. The God Child

Sitting in the place of honour beside the Lord of the village a young man with yellow hair and whisker marks on his cheeks took slow, even, breaths as he concentrated on not moving a muscle. It was a lot harder to do than one would expect, especially for someone like Namikaze Naruto. Ever since he could remember he preferred to run, jump, and move around. The wind was his opponent and the sky his only limit. But being raised as the Reincarnation of the Forest God he knew, and understood, his place as a part of the village. His Grandafther, Lord Sarutobi, smiled at him fondly. The old man always knew what he was thinking and it drove him up the wall. The next look was a stern one, reminding him of what he should have been doing.

"We wish to present the Honoured Child with this gift. Made with silk from our Clan's best weavers. May it see you through the chill of autumn and into the cold of winter." Bowing primly the representative from the Aburame clan waited, patiently, as Naruto was brought the gift and inspected it politely.

"I wish to thank you all for this most generous gift. Please send my greetings to the Lord and Lady of your Clan. May you prosper through the coming winter." Speaking in the formal way he had been taught since a young age he tried to express how thankful he was for the gift, since Aburame weave was not something to be sneezed at. The man stood, watching them quietly for a moment, before bowing again and walking backward until he had left the room. Since he was the last of the visitors for that day Naruto felt his body go boneless as soon as the door shut behind the stoic man.

"Very good Naruto. You were respectful and to the point, the kind of answer an Aburame clan member would expect and appreciate." Smiling at his mentor he stood and stretched his legs a little, moving his arms around and cracking his neck.

"Thank you Ji-sama. I hope that's the last of the Visitations though." Walking over to the pile of presents that had been neatly stacked by a servant of the house he touched them tentatively, a small frown tugging at the corners of his lips. Behind him he could hear the old man sigh, though it was not in frustration.

"You cannot still blame yourself?" Turning to look at his Grandfather he again noted that the man was looking far too old lately. Old and tired. Rubbing his arm he looked down at the ground, blue eyes filled with uncertainty.

"I keep hearing stories about how wonderful they were and I can't help but hating myself. Everyone loved them. They only tolerate my presence because of what I am." Leaving the gifts alone he stood next to the window and stared outside at the setting sun. Around now the lamp lighters were probably starting to wander the town, checking the lamps and lighting them for the coming night.

"Naruto... They loved you unconditionally. Your mother wanted you more than anything and your father gave his life so that you wouldn't have to go through hardship. They would want you to be happy." Naruto knew that his Grandfather was speaking the truth, or at least something he believed to be true, from the bottom of his heart. With a low sigh he finally smiled back at the old man.

"Naruto-nii!" Unexpectedly the door slid open and a blur flew past the Lord to slam into the side of the blonde. Laughing he turned to look down into the face of Konohamaru, Grandson of Hiruzen and practically Naruto's little brother. From the doorway a servant stopped, huffing, with a look of consternation on her face.

"P-please forgive the intrusion, Saturobi-dono, Namikaze-dono." Bowing politely the woman came into the room, intent on the child now clinging to Naruto's formal robes. Pouting he clung harder to the blonde, shaking his head.

"Are you running away from your studies again?" Naruto asked him with a snicker. The child grinned up at him, before sticking his tongue out at the servant.

"Ebisu-sensei said I had extra studies today, for the Festival coming up. But I wanted to come play with you!" He said as the servant woman stopped a few paces from them, uncertain of what she should do.

"Konohamaru, your studies are quite important." Chimed in Hiruzen as he came down from the dais, making a placating gesture at the woman.

"I am certain that Naruto would agree to play with you as soon as you are done." Konohamaru pouted even more, knowing that his Grandfather was right. Turning his bright eyes up at Naruto he gripped the fabric even harder, which earned him a chuckle from the blonde. Coming down to his level he flicked Konohamaru on the forehead gently, careful of his strength.

"Yowch!" Letting go of the fabric the boy put his hands over his forehead and frowned.

"I thought you told me that you wanted to run the village in Ji-sama's place when you grow up." Konohamaru looked down, one hand still on his forehead as he scuffed the wooden floor with his sandalled foot.

"I do, but-" Naruto raised a finger in an imitation of Hiruzen, his voice taking on a husky tone.

"There are no buts young man. Only hard work will get you to where you want to go. Besides," he said, continuing on in his own voice, "I would love to play with you when you're done your studies with Ebisu-sensei." Ruffling the boy's hair he grinned down at his pseudo little brother as the serving woman finally came closer.

"Alright Naruto-nii, but you have to promise!" Chuckling the Reincarnation nodded and the brunette scampered off, the servant running after him again in a huff.

"It is nice to see the young being so lively." His mentor said with a serene smile as he lit his pipe. Naruto smiled up at him before noticing the presents again and sighing. He really did appreciate all the gifts given to him for the different festivals and his birthday, but they were always a painful reminder that he was not appreciated for who he was; but for what he was.

A hand gently settled on his shoulder and he took a few moments to let himself be melancholy before taking a deep breath and smiling up at the current Lord.

"I'm fine. I'm going to wait outside in the back garden for Konohamaru." Waving good-bye as he left the room he dashed down the halls faster than any human should be able to move. His entire body was buzzing with extra energy and he could feel the tug on his core. It was autumn and although it was getting colder outside he didn't feel chilled at all. On the contrary his skin was almost hot as he stood outside and gazed in the direction of the forest. The Autumn Harvest Festival always coincided with the Rebirth Ritual that happened four times a year. Something he had learned to perform as a child but hadn't really understood until now. With the Rebirth Ritual the God inside him was invoked and blessed them by renewing the protective seals and barriers around their village and mountain. At the same time he was banished to the forest so the God could do it's work through him without having to worry about hurting the villagers by accident.

To be honest he loved it. It was as if all the chains that had been placed on him were all lifted away at the same time and he was truly free. To say it felt liberating was the understatement of the century.

As he stared up at the mountain forest he couldn't help but wonder if the last Reincarnation had felt the same way. He knew that there were old texts written by the previous Reincarnations but he had been forbidden to see them until he was at a certain age. Naruto suspected it was because it had to do with the choosing of a Bride, for which Hiruzen thought him still too young. At thirteen years of age he was considered a man, though he'd yet to have his coming of age ceremony. A the same time he'd had so much responsibility heaped upon him since he was a child that he didn't feel much different being an 'adult' than he did when he was a child.

All of these thoughts swirled around in his head, causing him to have a bit of a headache. He must have been out of it for quite a while because the next thing he knew he was being tackle hugged from above by the smallest Sarutobi. The nine year old was still a bit of a brat but tried his best not to be a pest when it came to Naruto. The two had grown up together and even though he was younger Knohamaru always found a way to cheer on, and cheer up, the Reincarnation.

"You promised." Was all he said as Naruto twisted around to try and get ahold of him. The little punk twisted his knuckles into the blonde's hair before his ankle was grabbed and he was held upside down for a moment. Grinning up at a disgruntled Naruto he produced a ball and laughed when his elder brother figure snorted, rolled his eyes, and put him down.

"Hey Konohamaru."

"Yeah?"

"Keep away~" Snagging the ball he ran off through the gardens, laughing the whole way.

"Hey, no fair! Naruto-nii!"


End file.
